Shower Realisation
by Akely
Summary: Sometimes, what makes you realise love is not your heart nor your brain. Okita realised it now, after seeing Kagura, after two long years of longing and waiting. However, this girl was clueless as always, perhaps this small accident under the shower would help? Set in current manga timeline.


Okita was slightly disappointed when he had to go and ask Mutsu for this favour; because apparently, the Chinese female wouldn't deign to come back properly. Even though it had been well past two years since he last saw her, he still remembered their promise very well. She couldn't lose to anyone but him, and he would protect Edo when the Shinsengumi are away.

Which is why, after their fight with Utsuro, that girl decided to run off to space for her stupid mutt and left him without words. Even back then, had he not gone to find her at the bridge they would be without farewell and while they weren't really known as friends he thought she'd be smarter than that. Their rivalry mattered, perhaps even more than he wanted to admit and it was too late to regret the fact he _cared_ for this idiot. He was without her for two years and his body was dull, life was so damn boring when she wasn't there to prank on. He realised that China had become part of his life, without her it wouldn't be the same. And after two years he was even sure that he couldn't bear that.

He sounded like a hopeless romantic. He seriously wanted to puke, and he was going to— maybe on her when she decides to return home.

Because Edo was her home. Not any other planet, nor space and the universe. She had a whole lot of family, friends and idiots to welcome her and she was late. So, as a good friend he brought her back.

Even something this simple, the redhead couldn't do. When he saw the child-figure instead of his favourite rival he bit back his anger, that girl had always been so shameless and confident— why would she change that while growing up? She certainly had become shy with time, refusing to come back as 'Kagura' but instead lying to everyone's faces that she was her daughter.

Ha, as if that gorilla could get knocked up. As if she could, Okita was irritated. He never liked complicated stuffs. This was partly why he got along with China: she was simple and frank, she didn't beat around the bush.

So he wasn't going to, either.

Shinpachi looked at him like he was a madman but Okita didn't care, he lunged at this brat who was being even more idiotic than usual today. He gave her plenty of chances to admit her wrongdoings; asked her who was the dad and if it were the boss (blegh). He even went as far as leaving his pride and talked honestly to her; he missed her. He cared for her. Their relationship mattered.

Was this gorilla of a female still as clueless as back then? She acted like he didn't say anything important and still refused to show herself, so he went to the next step and injured a little bit Shinpachi. It was then that she appeared, finally.

He would be lying if he didn't say he wasn't _expecting_ something. That girl had become sixteen, a fully fledged woman for them and he was twenty, a fully fledged man. The hormones may be striking, but for the first time he found a female striking besides his sister. Mitsuba was a loving woman, elegant, poised and soft-spoken and being his sister automatically made her someone he'd respect.

China, on the other hand, was different.

"That girl is finally back," he mumbled to himself with a grin he couldn't stop from stretching all over his face. Her face had become a lot sharper than back then, losing all its baby fat, and so were her eyes. Blue as ever. He was almost _sad_ upon noticing how tall she was now, reaching beyond his shoulders. Here he thought he grew tall enough so she wouldn't call him a chihuahua anymore.

Then her kick came, right into his stomach. Her strength had grown as well, but he didn't it coming.

Why the hell did she wear such… skin-showing clothes? He got it. She was a fighter and needed comfortable clothes to kick asses but why was her short so _short_?

"Bugh!" He was sent into a wall. His back was hurting. No, his whole body was aching but his brain was certainly melting.

Upon kicking him, Kagura had revealed milky white legs, toned and deliciously smooth to him and he couldn't help but stare a bit. He was a healthy young man of twenty years, after all.

That girl— or rather, woman, had grown some _assets_ after all. She properly looked like a female, not that he didn't acknowledge it before but her younger-self wasn't exactly raised by women and had very wrong ideas as to how to show her femininity.

He glanced back at Shinpachi, almost relieved that the forever-virgin boy had not stared indecently at her like he did. Then, almost with a laugh, he said that their 'beloved brat' had come back, not before he personally welcomed her before of course.

Though, she was anything but a brat now.

Because both of them were in the search of the boss, Okita decided to not say anything unrelated. His purpose was not only to get China but also bring the Yorozuya together so they, the Shinsengumi, would be able to fight by their side again. Him, by her side.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )

* * *

It was late at night, they were staying at the Yorozuya as China had nowhere to stay at, and him too. At least, that was what he told her and she didn't think more of his words. For a young woman she wasn't exactly careful, he frowned, didn't he realise that she was spending the whole night with a man? Or did she not see him as a man? The latter was very likely; even though he had known since the start that China was a girl and considered her as such, she never acted like he was a proper male. Perhaps it was the time for her to learn.

Suddenly, mental images invaded his brain. Some quite indecent, at that, and Okita groaned as he never had to fight those urges before. There were a lot of time where the Shinsengumi members would venture to Yoshiwara, as they couldn't bring females to compounds the crew would have some fun with courtesans. He sometimes followed, curious or bored, but never found the need to do it in the end. He'd stop at making them bark like dogs.

Kagura, who was sitting not far from him on the couch closed in the distance and hit his head. Hard.

"What?" He angrily asked, part of him wondering if her womanly sensors finally caught on the train of dirty thought he was having about her.

"You looked like you wanted to die, I thought I'd help you out. Returning the favour," she said with a blank face, before returning her attention to the TV. Kagura had already taken a shower and he could smell the sweet scent drifting from her, what did she use? This was why he sat further from her, it was so damn tempting. Everything was so damn tempting, the way her wet hair stuck at her, her flushed skin or how the top was slightly transparent because of the water.

"Yeah, I kind of want to die right now," he whispered. "I'll go take a shower."

"Uh-uh," she nodded. "You can use my shampoo if you want. You stink of blood, Sadist."

"Geez, thank you China. I feel really loved by you."

He left the room, definitely believing that a cold shower was to be. Besides, she wasn't entirely wrong and their fight made him smell like a mix of sweat, dust and blood.

The cold drops on his body felt good and cooled him in more than one way. He wondered whether all his feelings came from pure lust or something else and if that something else hadn't rooted itself in his heart three years ago. When he was eighteen he didn't care about such things, did not think about the future. Meeting China was a life-changer because for once there was someone of his age able to keep up with him and make the child in him come out. She did not treat him like a captain or a killer but just like any boy she met.

Okita realised that his feelings toward his rival may go far beyond those of a friend or an ally, but something much deeper. He felt it when she was away, and he was feeling it now she came back.

"Shit," he didn't know if he should cry or laugh or both at the same time. He was sure to fund a family a day or another in his life, but not with that woman. Then again everything seemed to make sense, ever since she appeared in his life she had supported him when nobody else could. She was the only person who would read him so easily. The fact that he was getting aware of her presence made it more obvious to him; he had it for her.

He was in love with China girl.

"I thought Kondo-san and Hijikata-san would be the only fools," he laughed softly.

"Sadist?" The voice that made his heart jump echoed through the door, "Are you okay? You've been there for a long time."

Okita was too startled to answer and then hear one knock. Then a loud noise, as Kagura had apparently broken something to enter the room. The steam was vanishing and his skin was tingling with the sudden breeze, but most of all, he was stark naked as Kagura entered the room.

"Did you faint or somethi—"

Her eyes fell on him. Then, lowered progressively as he was very much frozen.

"Oh."

What did that mean?

Kagura's face went from pale to red as she looked away, mumbling something like apologies and closed (what remained of) the door. If her steps were any indication, she was dashing to her closet.

"What the hell just happened?" Okita felt at loss and went out of the shower. He quickly dried himself and put on a tank top and a short, but then hesitated to go and sleep in the bathroom. How should he face her? She had seen him under all angles… And more, it was embarrassing. He felt self-conscious and squirmed in horror that the girl he realised he loved, just saw all of him. At least, he wasn't too shabby.

With a heavy sigh, Okita walked out of the room and messed his hair. After reaching the bedroom, he knocked at the closet's door.

"Oi China, come out."

Silence.

"Just so you know, this is your fault."

She didn't look like she wanted to speak to him, and this was exactly the best timing for him to confess the feeling he had discovered for her. So, Okita wished her good night and prepared his own futon before sliding into it. It was so awkward he wanted to die.

"Are you sleeping?" A small voice came from the closet.

"Nah."

"...I just wanted to say goodnight too, Do-S. Tomorrow, let's act as if nothing happened."

Okita was tempted to accept her proposition, but in the end, he smirked and laughed "Oh no you don't. I hope you enjoyed what you saw."

"What?! You damn pervert!"

"You were the one to open the door and peek China," he teased her until she went silent again.

As much as he was embarrassed by the whole thing, it certainly brought a positive change. There was no contest now that China was aware of him being a male.

And he had a lot more in his pocket to show her.

END


End file.
